America s Museums Reflect Slow Economic Recovery in 2012

Transcription

1 America s Museums Reflect Slow Economic Recovery in 2012 For four straight years ( ), increasing numbers of Americans have turned to the nation s museums for education, entertainment and enlightenment in the shadow of persistent economic uncertainties. According to annual surveys conducted by the American Alliance of Museums since the start of the Great Recession, museums served more visitors throughout this period even while their operating budgets stagnated or declined. In 2012, however, the museum sector demonstrated a slow, uneven but notable improvement in economic conditions and museum leaders are cautiously optimistic about the future. As one hopeful museum director explained, we endured cuts... [but] the tide seems to have turned. Here are key findings from the latest Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (ACME) survey: Museum attendance continued to grow in American museums served more visitors in 2012 than the year before. A majority of museums in the survey (52%) reported increases in annual onsite attendance in some cases, a boost of 20% or more while just 28% experienced declining attendance; the rest maintained a steady level of visitors. This is the fourth year in a row that a majority of museums reported increasing annual attendance. [Figure 1] The average increase in museum attendance in 2012 was 4.3%, which includes museums that had fewer visitors than the year before. This is based on museums that provided detailed attendance numbers for both years. Without a reliable count for the total number of museums in the United States, however, it s not possible to extrapolate from these average results to a total number of museum visits. The largest museums in the survey (with operating budgets of $11 million or more) were the most likely to gain visitors, but museums in the next smallest budget category ($4 $11 million) were the most likely to lose visitors, so it is hard to generalize about the

2 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 2 relationship between size and attendance in Nor did the presence or absence of a general admission fee have much impact on attendance growth in [Figure 2] This is a notable change from the past few years, when museums with admission fees were less likely to experience attendance growth than free museums and it may be a sign that Americans were finally willing to devote more disposable income to entertainment and education in The median price of an adult general admission ticket remained the same as it was in (still just $7.00), while 37% of museums remained free at all times or had suggested admission fees only. Nearly all museums (92%) were free to the public on at least some occasions. Regionally, museums in New England were the most likely to gain visitors while museums in the mid-atlantic states were the most likely The constant refrain that to lose visitors (thanks, in large part, to Hurricane museum leaders used to Sandy and other unusual weather events). Yet attendance patterns were also shaped by local explain increases in economic conditions at a smaller scale, too subtle to attendance: better be captured in the aggregate regional data but very exhibits and marketing. clear in the comments provided by survey respondents. Several boasted of local economic booms tied to specific industries and then reported robust gains in attendance and/or revenues at their institutions. But as the director of a mid-sized museum in the Rust Belt countered, our perception is that people [in the community] are being extremely cautious in their discretionary spending... [and have] extremely low confidence in the economy ; his museum saw fewer visitors and less revenue in 2012 than the year before. But museums still felt stressed by the economy More than 67% of museums reported economic stress at their institutions in 2012, ranging from moderate (44%) to severe (15%) to very severe (9%) with very severe stress defined as the very worst I have seen in at least 5 years. [Figure 3] This is the lowest level of reported stress since the ACME survey began in 2009, reflecting a small improvement in economic conditions but also the comparative awfulness of conditions in 2009; as one museum director succinctly put it, 2012 was a good year for us was one of the worst years. [Figure 4] The economic stress in 2012 was greatest in New England and the mid-atlantic states, where 70% and 73% of museums respectively reported at least moderate levels of stress. The stress was mildest in the far West, where 31% of museums reported minimal

3 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 3 or no stress at all. The largest museums in the survey, with operating budgets in excess of $11 million, reported the least economic stress (43% said minimal or no stress at all), while museums with budgets below $250,000 were most likely to report severe or very severe stress (37%). There were no discernible patterns of economic stress by museum type or discipline. Government support trickled; other income streams grew stronger In 2012, for the first time in four years, more museums reported an annual increase in total revenues than a decrease in total revenues (46% vs. 27%). [Figure 5] Because this is a year-over-year comparison only, however, it means that many museums perhaps most of them are still struggling to return to the revenue levels of 2007 or In every revenue category except one, museums were more likely to report an increase in funding instead of a drop. Membership fees, investments and private donations were especially likely There are limits to what to grow in 2012 though fewer than half of museums can be raised privately to actually experienced growth in these areas and many offset the losses [in were satisfied just to maintain revenues at 2011 levels. As several museum directors noted, fundraising government support] in a continues to be very difficult. Even those who time of economic stress. experienced notable increases in donations last year argued that philanthropic support has become less predictable. Corporate support is especially uncertain, one explained, and cannot be planned or anticipated with any accuracy. Other museum leaders focused on systematic (and perhaps permanent) changes to the philanthropic landscape: The reality is, the pie is shrinking and the competition for finite resources is increasing. The exception to the modest revenue revival was support from government at all levels, which continued to drop: just 14% of museums reported increases in government support versus declining support at 35% of museums. This was on top of widespread declines in government support in 2009, 2010 and Belt-tightening: still on the agenda As one museum director noted, We had a balanced budget [in 2012] but only because of reductions in pay and benefits for staff and a reduction in programming for the public.

4 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 4 Indeed, museums adopted a variety of budget-saving measures to meet their economic challenges in 2012, with deferred maintenance (reported by 23% of museums in the survey), relying more on volunteers (20%) and relying more on their own collections for exhibitions (18%) as the most common strategies. [Table 1] Overall, however, fewer museums resorted to extraordinary belt-tightening measures in 2012 than they did in 2010 or 2011, and they were much less likely to freeze hiring, lay off staff, reduce staff benefits or outsource museum operations. (Of course, this does not necessarily mean that museums have started to catch up on the deferred maintenance and human capital losses of the previous several years.) Economic difficulties also spurred increased attention to strategic planning in 2012, with 34% of museums reporting a change in strategic plans (including the creation of a new strategic plan) to reflect changes in economic conditions. Museums that experienced moderate to severe economic stress were twice as likely to engage in this kind of strategic planning. Museum leaders are mildly, not wildly, optimistic about 2013 Nearly half of museums (45%) entered 2013 with larger budgets than the previous year and another third (32%) maintained their operating budgets at 2012 levels. [Figure 6] As we wrote in our report on last year s ACME survey, 5 tough years with perhaps prematurely, this does not necessarily mean a return some slight to pre-recession levels... but it strongly suggests a swing improvement on towards economic recovery for the nation s museums. This year we have more evidence of economic recovery and a the horizon. firmer basis for museum leaders optimism about the future, with 30% saying that 2013 will be better or much better economically for their museums and just 10% predicting worse times ahead. We are on a gentle upswing, one explained, and another added that a recovering economy [has] stimulated an increase in both public and private support. Others looked back on four or five years of belt-tightening with a renewed sense of determination: We are still far from where we were prior to the downturn, but are in a sustainable position. But for many respondents, any optimism was tempered by the slow pace and incomplete scope of the recovery in We have been weathering this economic storm since 2008 and realized last year that we had done all we could except tread water, explained one weary museum director. Another worried aloud that the real impact of the economy on our institution will [only] be felt in 2013 and 2014.

5 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 5 About the survey The Annual Condition of Museums in the Economy survey was conducted online between January 28 and February 13, Invitations were sent to approximately 2,130 institutional members of the American Alliance of Museums, representing a crosssection of all museums in the United States, including art museums, children s museums, history museums and sites, zoos and aquariums, science and technology museums, public gardens, etc. Responses were received from 347 institutions; in most cases, the survey was completed by the museum s director, chief financial officer, or other senior administrator. Results have a margin of error of approximately ±5% for the entire population of U.S. museums. About the American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums' mission is to nurture excellence in museums through advocacy and service. The Alliance has brought museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 21,000 individual, institutional and corporate members, the Alliance is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit For more information about this report Contact Philip M. Katz at pkatz@aam-us.org or Previous reports in this annual series can be found at

6 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 6 Figure 1

7 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 7 Figure 2 Figure 3

8 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 8 Figure 4

9 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 9 Figure 5

10 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 10 Figure 6 Figure 7

11 Annual Condition of Museums and the Economy (April 2013) page 11 Table 1 Budget-saving measures adopted by museums, % of museums Budget-saving measure 29.5% 32.8% 22.9% Defer building maintenance 34.2% 30.3% 20.1% Rely more on volunteers 28.5% 26.1% 18.0% Rely more heavily on the museum's own collections 35.2% 27.7% 15.7% Freeze hiring 14.4% 12.9% 9.0% Postpone or cancel a construction project 17.2% 13.2% 7.4% Rely less on traveling exhibits 13.3% 12.0% 7.4% Postpone or cancel an exhibit 13.8% 10.4% 6.7% Postpone or cancel a capital campaign 15.4% 11.8% 6.5% Reduce staff benefits 11.0% 11.1% 6.5% Shift functions from paid staff to outside contractors 13.3% 11.3% 6.0% Reduce operating hours 12.5% 7.6% 6.0% Other 16.2% 13.4% 5.1% Lay off staff 1.0% 3.0% 3.5% Rely more on traveling exhibits 8.1% 3.9% 2.8% Furlough staff 2.9% 3.9% 2.3% Deaccession item(s) from the collection 3.7% 1.8% 1.8% Close individual galleries/exhibits on selected days 78.6% 76.0% 64.8% Any budget-saving measure